Homeless Outside

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Advocating for a safer winter!

Help us get an Extreme Weather Plan in Chicago!

There are too many people sleeping outside in Chicago. It’s really bad for them, it’s bad for everyone else and it doesn’t have to be like this.

As Fall winds down into another Chicago winter, we need to think about what comes next for our neighbors who sleep outside. We are entering this year unprepared as a City, once again.

The City of Chicago does not have an extreme weather plan, either for hot or cold. This lack of foresight is dangerous. This summer, when it was obvious that the heat would be too much for some people, the City attempted to get helpful information out. However, different departments issued different advisories, listing different sites. In addition, several of those sites had no air conditioning, some were closed, some said they were not cooling centers and employees at some locations had no idea they were designated a cooling center. Most important, there were no 24 hour locations – a key for people in tents or overheated apartments.

That litany of issues describes a lot of things, but a well thought out and implemented plan is not one of them. The situation is worse in cold weather.

Every year, between 19 and 60 Chicagoans freeze to death on our streets. This doesn’t even account for the frostbite and myriad other complications that come from being too cold for too long. Once again, we have no real plan – no consistent standards, no fixed locations, no trained staff and no 24-hour safe place.

For 9 out of 10 Chicagoans who did what the City told them, and called 311 for help, there was no help from the City. For 7 out of 10 callers, there is no record of what happened to them – we don’t track those outcomes. That’s not a help line. It’s just cruelty.

This is ridiculous. We can open 15,000 beds for new arrivals in one year, but we can’t open a fraction of that for Chicagoans in crises? Of course we can.

The City committed to a hearing on extreme weather planning this fall, first after the DNC, then in September, now possibly being pushed into October or even January!?

No. Timing matters here. We need to get on this.

Please write your Alder. Their email is below. If there is no pressure, there will be no effort. If you could, please CC us at info@chicagohelpinitiative.org, so we know how many letters have been sent. Please consider saying:

We need a real extreme weather plan. This should include:

  • We need enough indoor, habitable space to accommodate Chicagoans in crises overnight.
  • Locations must be consistent, with predictable and appropriate opening and closing standards.
  • All overnight locations must be staffed by trained personnel.
  • Immediately restore the 2000 shelter beds lost in the last decade for this winter. This is a key reason more people are outside.
  • Do an immediate assessment of shelter bed need going forward.


If you don’t know who your Alderman is, you can use this site to find them by putting in your address:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/provdrs/your_ward_and_alderman/svcs/find_my_alderman.html

Thank you for being a part of trying to move this issue forward!

Doug F

Alders and e-mails:

Ward

Alder

Phone

E-mail

1

La Spata, Daniel

(872) 206-2685

Ward01@cityofchicago.org

2

Hopkins, Brian

(312) 643-2299

Ward02@cityofchicago.org

3

Dowell, Pat

(773) 373-9273

Ward03@cityofchicago.org

4

Robinson, Lamont J.

(312)744-2690

Ward04@cityofchicago.org

5

Yancy, Desmon C.

(312) 744-6832

Ward05@cityofchicago.org

6

Hall, William E.

(773) 241-3100

Ward06@cityofchicago.org

7

Mitchell, Gregory I.

(773) 731-7777

Ward07@cityofchicago.org

8

Harris, Michelle A.

(773) 874-3300

Ward08@cityofchicago.org

9

Beale, Anthony

(773) 785-1100

Ward09@cityofchicago.org

10

Chico, Peter

(773) 768-8138

Ward10@cityofchicago.org

11

Lee, Nicole T.

(773) 254-6677

Ward11@cityofchicago.org

12

Ramirez, Julia M.

(773) 475-6783

Ward12@cityofchicago.org

13

Quinn, Marty

(773) 581-8000

Ward13@cityofchicago.org

14

Gutierrez, Jeylu B.

773-236-0117

Ward14@cityofchicago.org

15

Lopez, Raymond A.

(773) 823-1539

Ward15@cityofchicago.org

16

Coleman, Stephanie D.

(773) 306-1981

Ward16@cityofchicago.org

17

Moore, David H.

(773) 783-3672

Ward17@cityofchicago.org

18

Curtis, Derrick G.

(773) 284-5057

Ward18@cityofchicago.org

19

O’Shea, Matthew J.

(773) 238-8766

Ward19@cityofchicago.org

20

Taylor, Jeanette B.

(773) 966-5336

Ward20@cityofchicago.org

21

Mosley, Ronnie L.

(773) 881-9300

Ward21@cityofchicago.org

22

Rodriguez, Michael D.

(773) 762-1771

Ward22@cityofchicago.org

23

Tabares, Silvana

(773) 582-4444

Ward23@cityofchicago.org

24

Scott, Monique L.

(773) 533-2400

ward24@cityofchicago.org

25

Sigcho-Lopez, Byron

(773) 523-4100

Ward25@cityofchicago.org

26

Fuentes, Jessica L.

(773) 395-0143

Ward26@cityofchicago.org

27

Burnett, Jr., Walter

(312) 432-1995

Ward27@cityofchicago.org

28

Ervin, Jason C.

(773) 533-0900

Ward28@cityofchicago.org

29

Taliaferro, Chris

(773) 237-6460

Ward29@cityofchicago.org

30

Cruz, Ruth

(773) 628-7874

Ward30@cityofchicago.org

31

Cardona, Jr., Felix

(773) 824-2000

Ward31@cityofchicago.org

32

Waguespack, Scott

(773) 248-1330

Ward32@cityofchicago.org

33

Rodriguez Sanchez, Rossana

(773) 840-7880

Ward33@cityofchicago.org

34

Conway, William

(312) 744-6820

Ward34@cityofchicago.org

35

Ramirez-Rosa, Carlos

(773) 887-3772

Ward35@cityofchicago.org

36

Villegas, Gilbert

(773) 745-4636

Ward36@cityofchicago.org

37

Mitts, Emma

(773) 379-0960

Ward37@cityofchicago.org

38

Sposato, Nicholas

(773) 283-3838

Ward38@cityofchicago.org

39

Nugent, Samantha

(773) 736-5594

Ward39@cityofchicago.org

40

Vasquez, Jr., Andre

(773) 654-1867

Ward40@cityofchicago.org

41

Napolitano, Anthony V.

(773) 631-2241

Ward41@cityofchicago.org

42

Reilly, Brendan

(312) 642-4242

Ward42@cityofchicago.org

43

Knudsen, Timothy R.

(773) 348-9500

Ward43@cityofchicago.org

44

Lawson, Bennett R.

(773) 525-6034

Ward44@cityofchicago.org

45

Gardiner, James M.

(773) 853-0799

Ward45@cityofchicago.org

46

Clay, Angela

(312) 744-6831

Ward46@cityofchicago.org

47

Martin, Matthew J.

(773) 868-4747

Ward47@cityofchicago.org

48

Manaa-Hoppenworth, Leni

(773) 784-5277

Ward48@cityofchicago.org

49

Hadden, Maria E.

(773) 338-5796

Ward49@cityofchicago.org

50

Silverstein, Debra L.

(773) 262-1050

Ward50@cityofchicago.org


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Did you know?

20% 

of the people we serve are military service veterans.

They help us with food, social services. Nothing but love, that’s how I feel about the Chicago Help Initiative.”

Andre